Unforeseen
by With Quill And Ink
Summary: Rose Weasley is headed back to Hogwarts for her sixth year, where she plans to get through her classes and deal with the normal drama. But a new exchange program marks unforeseen discoveries and a change of pace for Rose.


Unforeseen

Chapter 1

Rose Weasley sat on a blanket in her front yard, chewing on a piece of her light red hair. The quill in her hand was poised above the notebook that rested in her lap. She squinted up at the sun before looking back down at the blank page in front of her with a furrowed brow. All of the sudden, her hand flew across the paper, filling it with furious scribbles that would be hard for anyone besides herself to discern. She was so concentrated on her writing that she didn't notice a boy of about sixteen walk up and sit beside her. Only when he leaned over her notebook in order to see the words, and by doing so, blocked out the sun, did she look up at him.

"Would you mind keeping that big head of yours out of my light?" she snapped at him.

He ignored her stab at his ego and leaned farther down, blocking her view entirely. Rose couldn't help but smile at him.

The boy, William Archer, watched as she dipped her quill into the ink pot that was perched precariously on her knee. "You're going to spill that ink," he said matter-of-factly.

She did not acknowledge him, but instead, went on with her writing and pretended not to have heard anything. She paused to adjust her position and the ink swayed threateningly. William snatched it from her knee before it could fall and set it down on the blanket.

"Now do you believe me?" his tone was teasing and he smiled at her.

Rose sighed. "Yes Will, I believe you. Now will you go away and let me write in peace? This is my last day."

"Which is exactly why we should be out and doing something!" he cried. "I'm not going to see you for months and you expect me to just sit here and watch you be boring?! I think not!" With that, he stood up quickly and yanked the notebook out of her hands, throwing it on the grass before picking Rose up and tossing her over his shoulder. He strode over to her house and knocked on the door, all the while ignoring Rose as she pounded on his back and demanded to be put down. After a moment, the door opened to reveal Hermione leaning against the door-frame with the shadow of a smirk lifting her face.

"Can I help you?" she asked, the smirk becoming more defined with every passing second.

"I was wondering if there was anything hindering me taking Rose out today?" Will spoke with the utmost of respect.

"I don't see why not. Have her back before sundown." Hermione was now grinning at the sight of her daughter struggling to free herself.

Will thanked her and turned around and walked back to the blanket left forgotten on the grass.

"Put me _down_!" Rose yelled in his ear, and with a slight smile, he dropped her unceremoniously onto the ground.

She landed with an "Umph!" and scrambled to her feet to stand in front of him defiantly. "You Americans have no sense of dignity or respect!" she scolded him.

He just smiled at her. "So what do you want to do?"

"_I_ want to write, but since you seem so insistent that we do something –"

"Productive," he interrupted.

Rose couldn't help but smile at his cockeyed grin. "Well, what do _you_ want to do?" she asked.

"Let's go to that pet store you are so fond of," he suggested and Rose immediately perked up. "I have you 'till sundown, so we can walk down there and then maybe stop by our little coffee shop on West Av."

Rose smiled at him and gathered up her things, throwing them in the house and calling out her plans to her mother. As they walked together down the street, she couldn't help but think upon how much she was going to miss Will when she went away to school. She listened, amused, as he jabbered on about anything that came into his mind. Only half listening to him, she admired the way that the sun illuminated the world and gave everything a dazzling and joyful aura. She was distracted by a large black cat who was sitting on a fence, cleaning its ears and had paused for a second. Will looked back at her.

"Come on slow poke." He said and grabbed her hand. Rose allowed him to drag her along the road towards a small, hole-in-the-wall pet shop that sold exotic and uncommon animals. Curious Creatures looked shabby and run down from the outside; paint peeled from the walls and the sign hung on rusty pegs. But through the dusty window, they could see cages of the most obscure animals. Rose hurried to cross the lonely street and opened the door. She was greeted by a friendly squawk and a very large black bird landing gently on her shoulder.

"Hello Edmund," Rose murmured and stroked the raven's sleek, black feathers. The beady, yet strangely intelligent eyes stared at her.

"You really just need to cave in and buy him." Will said with a laugh. "He's practically yours anyway!"

Rose scoffed. "I already have Prince. You know I can only have one pet at school."

"That cat isn't long for this world. Even your mom doesn't think you should take him this year. What was it she said? That he needed to live his hunting retirement in peace at home?" he laughed.

Rose was quiet, her fingers absentmindedly running down the raven's back. She had always wanted to have a bird, and as much as she loved her old lanky cat, Will and her mother had a point.

The shopkeeper, Wacky Wentworth, he was called by most people, hobbled over to Rose. "You should listen to that young man" he gestured vaguely at Will who had wandered over to look at the salamanders in the glass tanks in the back. "Sir Edmund is an honorable bird, and has taken a considerable liking to you!" he leaned in to speak so that only she could hear. "My previous offer still stands. 10 galleons and he's yours."

She nodded and smiled at him thankfully with a look at Will. "Can I pay in Muggle money?"

"Of course my dear!" he cried and dragged her over to the register. "I will even throw in a cage and some food! That pesky bird has been here for over a year and while he has grown on me, I know he has a good home with you, young Rosa" his nickname for her, based on the Latin word for rose, tugged on her heart. He was such an endearing old man, however reclusive.

Will was at her side and watched as she pulled out a small billfold she kept in her back pocket, never one to carry a purse or any such girly drivel. She cursed quietly to herself as she pulled out the right amount.

"Mum's gonna kill me. This is more than 2 months allowance."

"She's more likely to kill you for the fact that you're bringing another animal into her house. Remember the squirrel Hugo found?" he laughed again, his voice soft with sympathy. "Poor thing didn't last five minutes in the same house as Prince," he shook his head.

Rose laughed with him and thanked Wentworth as he handed over her newly purchased items.

"Are you both off to school tomorrow?" the man asked cheerfully.

They nodded. "Will goes back to California and I go up to Scotland."

"How wonderful!" the man's head bobbed erratically.

Will grabbed the items on the counter and ignored Rose's protests.

Wentworth chucked, "Well I won't keep you any longer! Do make sure to stop by during break Rose. You are a happy face in this lugubrious neighborhood."

The two teenagers waved and said their thanks as they left the small shop and headed down the street. They were quiet as they walked, enjoying each other's company and the warm August sun on their skin. Will subtly collected the cage and bag he carried into one hand and eased the other over Rose's shoulders. It was a friendly gesture and Rose had no fears about its implications. They had been close since Will had moved in next door with his mother, Heather Willowson, when they were both 10. His parents had just gone through a fairly nasty divorce and Heather had moved to England to get far away. Will, however, kept his father Mason's last name and stay enrolled in his private boarding school in California. He went back a week before his school started up and visited his mother in England on Christmas Holiday and over summer. He and his mother did not get on very well and he spent most of his time around town or with Rose, who had quickly adopted him as her best friend, a title he still kept six years later.

Rose had to be careful around him, though. He was a Muggle. Her mother had warned her shortly after he had moved in next door that even though they were best friends, she must not betray her family's secret. This lecture had come after Rose's brother Hugo had made all the cupboards open suddenly from across the room while Will and his mother were over for dinner one night. Heather had gone into a fit of fearful tears and left quickly after, dragging an apologizing Will after her. Tensions had eased when Hermione had made Hugo apologize and explain that it had been a trick using clear fishing line and slight-of-hand trickery (an excuse concocted by Rose's father).

Keeping the secret was not a problem for Rose. She and Will never ran out of things to talk about, from what they wanted to be when they grew up to their favorite new bands. They were a well matched pair; similar enough to get along, but different enough to keep things interesting. She helped him win the heart of his occasional summer flings and he kept her nose from burying too far into every book within sight.

They ambled down the empty sidewalk towards their favorite hang-out spot: Nook 'n Book Coffee and Tea Shop. It was, as usual, fairly crowded for the barrenness of the street corner it nestled in. People filtered in and out and disappeared into the late summer afternoon. Rose and Will eased in past a large woman with three cardboard trays of various sized drinks and settled into the seats of their normal booth. It always happened to be empty, as if the workers knew it was reserved for only them. Jean, the spritely young waitress on shift, bubbled over to their table and gave both of them awkward hugs, causing Will to jostle the cage that held Edmund and elicit a loud squawk of reproach from the bird.

"Oh my- I didn't mean to- I'm so so sorry! I didn't mean to startle your pet! Is it a pet? It sort of looks like a small eagle!" her laugh sparkled as she spilled out words like a fountain. "Well anyway, you better not let Adam see you with that thing in here. Bird! Sorry, not thing! He might kick you out! Oh who am I kidding he would never kick you out! He loves you two!" she giggled again.

"Thanks Jean," Will flashed his most charming smile. "Now I only have Rose here captive till sunset so we will just split one pot of peppermint." Another flash of white teeth and Jean nearly pooled on the smooth wooden floorboards. Rose rolled her eyes, used to this reaction from every girl over 12.

"So sorry! Here I am talking off your heads! I'll get that right up for you!" she flitted off to the barista behind the front counter.

Will laughed and picked up the book that lay in the middle of the table. It was different every week and always a classic; this time it was one of Robert Frost's poetry books.

"Look Rose! I think my American is rubbing off on old Adam!" he laughed at himself and flipped through the pages, stopping occasionally to read. Rose stared out the window and thought of the story she had left mid sentence on her lawn. She turned to Will again.

"You know –" she stopped suddenly. Will had his nose pressed into the spine of the book with his eyes closed.

He looked up at her slyly. "It smells like apples," he said with a wink and handed the book over. She had a quick glance at the poem title and shook her head.

"Will, that is bad, even for you." she handed back the book; open to the poem "After Apple Picking".

"You don't even laugh at my jokes anymore Rose!" he pushed out his lip and held a hand to his heart. "You wound me."

She chortled and looked back out the window until their tea came. The two friends drank and laughed at the other people around the bustling shop until the sun hung low in the sky.

They left in good spirits, both buoyed by tea and the biscuits Jean had delivered "on me" with a wink. The wind had grown cooler as the sun eased under the cover of the horizon and Rose was chilled by the time they reached her house. She strode up to the front door and turned to face Will. He handed over her new pet and goodies and looked down at her, something different in his hazel eyes.

"You will write?" she questioned, her voice soft.

"Have I ever not?" he smiled.

"I'll miss you terribly. Who is going to keep me sane at school?"

"You'll have Albus,"

She grinned, "You know he hates being called that."

He scoffed. "He calls me William. Tit for tat."

She hugged him.

His chin rested on her head.

After a moment he pulled back. "Don't hate me ok?" his words were hesitant.

"Wha –"

He swooped down and fastened his lips to hers in a quick, chaste kiss. He pulled back and looked at her through slightly glazed eyes. "I've wanted to do that for a long while."

Before she realized what had happened, he had released her and was strolling across the lawn that separated their yards and, with an elated grin, darted through the front door.

Rose stood there, staring after him, until her mother opened the door to call her in for dinner.


End file.
